I will go ahead and recommend this to you: No matter what class you are, you can ALWAYS use more DPS. You will be able to run solo and group skirms alike without any Herbalists or Bannerguards for heals.

With that said, Herbalists and Bannerguards both have their uses - Herbalists are very good for, say, a Champion. They can lay down the AoE DPS and the Herbalist can throw a bit of healing their way. The Herbalist is also effective for a Minstrel or Lore-master, not only can the Herbalist heal them, they can restore their power - and are VERY good in a raid-level Skirmish, as their AoE HoT or PoT Ultimate skill will heal cross-group and heal all Soldiers inside the raid. Just think about it like this: The Herbalist restores your power while soloing, and helps you heal while you're grouping. You know, if healing is your thing.

Note on Stackability: Some debuffs may only be applied ONCE to a mob. Once period. Typically, the HIGHEST LEVEL soldier applying the LOWEST RANKED debuff will be applied, and will stick. That's half-backwards. However, this means that if you are running a soldier and have a debuff such as this - it is a very high priority to rank if you are planning on grouping. If you're grouped with someone who has it at a higher level, you should consider unslotting it. Even if you leave the slot blank, it's cheap(free?) to do and will improve the group as a whole.

Note on Barterable Skills: These are a pretty confusing mechanic - the Skirmish Captain has a BARTER Option which will allow you to BARTER for additional skills for your soldier. The same rules apply to these skills as do all other skills, other than the first rank must be bartered for or otherwise acquired. The only difference is that only ONE of your TWO possible Ultimate Skills may be slotted at any given time. A soldier's Ultimate Skill is generally their best skill available. Some are better than others.

There are two general types of soldiers, DPS and Support. There are basically three of each. I will give a brief overview of these soldiers. I would recommend DPS for everyone, as a majority of the Skirmishes you will be running will be SOLO - and you can NEVER run them fast enough!---DPS---ArcherAn Archer a bow and will concentrate on defeating your foes, specializing in killing one for at a time.

My take on the Archer is he's sort of a mini-hunter. He does great single-target DPS, and has a little skill called "Mark Target" which places a 5% incoming ranged damage debuff on his target. As far as I know, this stacks with multiple archers! Wow! Unfortunately, Soldier AI is pretty bad, and IMO the advantage to being ranged DPS is that you can sit in the back - this guy will stand next to you.

Name

Effectiveness

Barter Price

Role: Archer

Ranged Critical Buff Bonus Maximum Morale Bonus Maximum Power

N/A

Deadly Shot

High Ranged

N/A

Distracting Shot

Medium Ranged Medium Detaunt

N/A

Pinpoint Shot

Medium Ranged Critical Rating Bonus Critical Magnitude Bonus

N/A

Refocus

Healing: Power (Self)

N/A

Marking Arrow

Low Damage +5% Incoming Ranged Damage

260 SM 2 First Marks

Wounding Arrow

Low Damage Medium Bleed

650 SM 2 Second Marks

Ultimate: Bold Arrow

Critical Rating Buff Critical Magnitude Buff

720 SM 4 Second Marks

Ultimate: Wound-Seeker

Medium Damage "Ultimate" Bleed

1300 SM 4 Third Marks

SageA Sage will concentrate on defeating your foes, specializing in debuffing foes as he fights.

This guy really has no Player equal. He does Tactical damage, and some decent debuffing - most importantly, likely, is "Weakening Draught" which is an AoE Tactical Resistance debuff - all Tactical skills will hit more often, in English. Take this guy if you want a mix of AoE and single-target DPS. The debuffs are nice too. Same problem as the Archer - and sadly - he is much less survivable.

WarriorA Warrior weields two weapons and will concentrate on defeating your foes, specializing in dealing damage to multiple foes at once.

This Soldier is basically the standard of Soldiers - it's great for anyone, really. AoE Damage, single-target damage, survivability... no Soldier will act as a "main tank" for you, but this guy has a great mix of offensive debuffs, like a mini Champ without Fervour!

-Support-BannerguardA Bannerguard wields a banner and a weapon and will concentrate on supporting you and your allies.

HerbalistA Herbalist cannot attack, but will concentrate on healing you and your allies.

ProtectorA Protector will concentrate on drawing the attention of your foes.

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Aldranath - L65 Captain, SM Weaponsmith.
Fail Captain inspires nothing but sadness and more rounds.
That drink didn't go down so well. Better send another down to check on it.